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by Jubokko, LazarusII



Series: KakaIru One-Shots to Heal (or Break) Your Heart [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff, Food, Hugs, Iruka is an Amazing Partner, KakaIru Fest Summer 2020, Kakashi is Tired, Low Chakra Levels, M/M, Post-Mission Fluff, kakairu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:40:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25612981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jubokko/pseuds/Jubokko, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazarusII/pseuds/LazarusII
Summary: After a week-long mission, Kakashi drags himself back home.Iruka is there to welcome him.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Series: KakaIru One-Shots to Heal (or Break) Your Heart [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821832
Comments: 9
Kudos: 152
Collections: Nine Weeks of Summer 2020





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> This work is for Week Five of KakaIru-Fest’s [“Nine Weeks of Summer”](https://kakairu-fest.tumblr.com/post/619314651469168640/we-are-excited-to-announce-our-summer-round)! The prompt that I chose for this week was _food_.

Kakashi returned in a daze, barely registering what was happening around him as he dragged himself onto the apartment doorstep. His body ached all over from the multiple rogue-nin attacks he’d encountered while on-mission, and low-chakra levels ate at his remaining strength like a poison. 

With slow movements, he made the hand signs to deactivate the protective seals, and felt a small thread of chakra left him as they released. 

Under  _ normal  _ circumstances, the drain was negligible and he hardly noticed its effect. 

Kakashi’s fingers dug into the building’s wood panels as his vision went sideways. Cursing softly, he fell against the side of the apartment, one hand on the doorknob. For a few seconds, he stayed there, breathing. 

Tsunade would have his head for not going to the hospital. Chakra depletion was no laughing matter, and he was running dangerously low. But he still had  _ some  _ left, enough to get him safely back to his home… to his partner. 

Moments later, Kakashi half-collapsed onto the kitchen counter directly adjacent to the entry, gripping the smooth surface tightly for balance. He felt light-headed, and vaguely wondered how the hell he’d managed the journey back to the Village--it was all a blur. 

The lights in the main room were off. He shook himself, suddenly becoming aware of the faint, bluish glow entering the apartment through the nearby window. 

It was nearly dawn. 

Iruka would be getting up soon… 

_ Might as well let him… have the few extra minutes…  _ He thought groggily. 

_ Besides, I’m not sure that I can make it…  _

Pulling off his shoes, Kakashi stumbled around the low table in the middle of the open kitchen-living room space like a drunken man. 

Hoping that he was not being loud enough to awaken Iruka, Kakashi crumpled into the soft embrace of the couch, peeling the hitai-ate away from his face with fumbling fingers. 

His arm flopped to the side and he heard the metallic plate clatter softly to the floor nearby. 

_ So much for… being quiet…  _

The world slowly faded away. 

* * *

Kakashi awakened sometime later with a rather loud groan. 

At some point, he’d curled in on himself and buried his face into the back of the couch. While it was, no doubt, a very comfortable  _ temporary  _ position, the long term effects were far less kind to the body. 

His neck complained loudly, and his head felt as though it had cotton balls stuffed in it. To top it off, he had a terrible, bone-deep ache which had spread across every limb in his body, centering rather painfully right at the base of his spine. 

Feeling as though his body had been filled with lead, Kakashi rolled over, yawning. He stretched like a cat, but almost immediately winced as multiple bones took the opportunity to crack and pop loudly. 

The first thing that Kakashi registered, outside of his own discomfort, was that it was  _ still  _ morning, but far later than when he’d come home. Against the far wall, a small clock kindly alerted him that it was just past eleven. 

Sunlight filtered through the kitchen and living room windows in a series of dazzling streams of light, collectively illuminating the apartment in a pleasant, yellow glow. Through the glass of the nearest window, Kakashi could see a vivid, blue sky above. 

A smile played at his lips, causing the mask to shift slightly against his skin.

Several windows, which had been closed upon his arrival, were wide open, allowing a warm breeze to flow through the place. Nearby, Iruka’s treasured, rather tall potted plants waved lazily in the air--as if in greeting. 

Shifting again, Kakashi frowned as he felt something brush against his mask, something  _ not  _ his flak jacket--which he still wore. Looked down at himself, he numbly took in the presence of a light, cotton blanket draped across his body. 

His expression softened, and he gently pulled the blanket to the side, swinging himself upright. 

Almost immediately, the world spun. Kakashi gritted his teeth. 

Holding his forehead with one hand, Kakashi slowly leaned back into the cushions, and waited until his vision became stable once more. 

_ Maa, I think I overdid it again this time…  _

Sometimes, his inability to deactivate the Sharingan was a bitch. 

Soon enough, Kakashi felt some semblance of strength return to his legs. 

Going into autopilot, he folded the blanket before gently guiding himself into a standing position. Swaying slightly, he eased the flak jacket from his shoulders. 

It  _ desperately  _ needed to be washed. 

He made the same observation about the rest of his uniform, which he later removed in the bathroom. The entire set of clothes went directly into the laundry hamper. 

Stepping beneath the shower’s hot spray felt like a breath of new life into his tired body. His preference for water, especially in the morning, was scalding hot. Iruka always called him crazy for it, but Kakashi found that the high temperature woke him up quickly. 

Taking slow, deep breaths, he ran himself through several grounding techniques, using the water as a way to help him focus on the here and now. 

Missions tended to drag him off into a strange headspace--or was it the act of coming back home? He didn’t know, but there was nothing that could bring the world back into focus like a nice, hot shower. 

Scrubbing the grime from his hair, Kakashi finally felt the blurred haze lift from his mind. 

Staying true to his tradition, Kakashi abruptly turned the water from hot to freezing cold near the end of his shower. Hand still on the temperature controls, he spun slowly beneath the spray, shaking himself as the cold water bit into his skin. 

While Iruka always commented on how taking such hot showers was “crazy,” the man had reserved the word “insane” to describe the latter half of Kakashi’s post-mission, morning ritual. 

Body aching, yet fully awake and shivering slightly, Kakashi grabbed a towel and attacked his hair until it was nearly dry. 

Just before he went about drying the rest of himself off, Kakashi heard the telltale click of the apartment’s door unlock. 

He frowned. He hadn’t been expecting anyone. Naruto was off training with Jiraiya and Iruka  _ should  _ still be teaching for several more hours… Maybe Tenzo had decided to drop in and steal food? 

Silently, he cursed chakra-depletion. Under normal circumstances, he’d have been able to sense who it was coming into the apartment. 

Out of habit, he reached onto the counter and pulled out a kunai from where he’d left it. 

Weighing the possibility that in the week that he’d been gone, everyone’s schedules had changed, Kakashi wrapped the towel about his waist and drew back the sliding door in order to peer out into the hall… 

The first thing that hit him was the smell of steamed rice. Kakashi’s stomach growled, reminding him that it had nearly been a full day since his last--even somewhat--proper meal. And that was  _ counting  _ soldier pills. 

Tempted out into the hallway, Kakashi leaned around the corner, hands steading him as he stuck his head into the combined kitchen-living area. 

Iruka was busy at the counter, fussing with a tightly-sealed takeout container of curry. The man wasn’t wearing his flak jacket, but still sported the long-sleeved top and loose pants of his uniform. His hair was pulled up as usual, but the ponytail was a bit messier than usual. Even as Kakashi watched, a few strands of bronze-brown hair fell to Iruka’s shoulders. 

Sneaking up behind Iruka, practically drooling at the smell of food, Kakashi wrapped his arms around his partner’s middle. Iruka had clearly sensed his approach and did not start. Moments later, the shorter man nuzzled into Kakashi’s shoulder, hands still fumbling the container. 

“Welcome home,” Iruka whispered, smiling up at him. Without complaint, the man gently removed the kunai from Kakashi’s hand and placed it on the countertop. 

“What are you doing here?” Kakashi asked softly, eyes focused on the curry. 

“We had a half day at the Academy,” the man replied, reaching up to tousle Kakashi’s damp, silver hair. “And I wanted to surprise you.” 

Humming, Kakashi tightened his hold on Iruka, pulling him closer. The man squirmed slightly, the fabric of his shirt sticking to Kakashi’s skin. 

The lid to the curry abruptly popped off and the plastic cover spun on the counter before settling. Kakashi resisted the urge to dip a finger into the now-open container of food. 

Iruka, clearly catching on to his partner’s train of thought, smirked up at Kakashi. “ _ Not _ until you put something on. You planning on standing there naked all da--”

Kakashi interrupted him with a kiss, which Iruka enthusiastically returned. The embrace quickly turned rather comical as Kakashi overbalanced slightly, dropping most of his weight onto the Academy teacher. 

Grunting slightly, Iruka patted him on the back. For a moment, they gently swayed there together, enjoying the contact. 

Kakashi let his eyes fall closed. He was exhausted, but grateful to be back… Iruka’s arms and shoulders were strong, holding him upright… 

He was only pulled from his stupor when Iruka playfully shoved him away. Stumbling, Kakashi nearly fell, but Iruka saved him, catching him gracefully before his body could collide with the wood panels. 

Grinning, the man planted a finger in the center of Kakashi’s bare chest. “Clothes?” 

Iruka released him. Laughing, Kakashi found his balance and turned.

“Maa, if you insist--” 

A few minutes later, Kakashi found himself back in the kitchen area, snuggled against his partner by the small dining table. Iruka was serving the curry slowly, and Kakashi was quickly growing desperate at his teasing. Growling softly, he pulled the man closer. 

Iruka snorted with barely-concealed amusement. “Alright, alright, message received.” 

Kakashi dug into the food with gusto as Iruka played with his hair. Hardly any words were spoken between them for quite some time. But the silence was comfortable and, in Kakashi’s opinion, welcoming. 

It was only once the food had disappeared, that the silence was broken. 

Kakashi felt Iruka snake his arms around him from behind. Smiling, he leaned his head back against Iruka’s shoulder. 

“Thank you,” he whispered. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr [here](https://akumu-jubokko.tumblr.com/)  
> All questions, comments, and kudos are greatly appreciated :)  
> Thank you so much for reading <33  
> I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!  
> 


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